Top: Grand Teton National Park; bottom: Bear Lake National Wildlife Refuge
Conservation should be a bipartisan issue with widespread public support. It used to be. The one candidate, now long gone, who squarely addressed it was Jon Huntsman who said “Conservation is conservative.”
Conservation means the wise use of natural resources. These resources are the savings account, so to speak, that our planet provides for future generations, but only if we use them wisely. In the past, politicians of both parties, as well as independents supported conservation efforts:
- Teddy Roosevelt, Republican president and later independent (Bull Moose Party) established National Forests, National Wildlife Refuges and added to our National Park system.
- Franklin Delanor Roosevelt, Democratic president created the Civilian Conservation Corps which helped build numerous National Park facilities, and helped finalize new National Parks, including Grand Teton and Olympic.
- Dwight Eisenhower, Republican president donated his family farm to the National Park Service.
- Richard Nixon, Republican president, signed into law the Clean Air and Clean Water Acts, the Endangered Species Act and launched the Environmental Protection Agency.
- Jimmy Carter, Democratic president established the Wild and Scenic River designation and protected huge areas of Alaskan wilderness. He also asked us to conserve energy (we did not listen very well).
- Bill Clinton, Democratic president added 17 new National Monuments, increased protection on wetlands and old-growth forests, and banned road building in 60 million acres of wilderness areas in National Forests.
Looking after our natural assets should be a source of pride and patriotism. We should all heed the words of the greatest conservationist we’ve ever had as president:
“The Nation behaves well if it treats the natural resources as assets which it must turn over to the next generation.” – Teddy Roosevelt
